We continue to countdown towards the 2025 football season where Liberty will look to make it back to a bowl game while also competing for a CUSA title.
As we have done the past several years, we will rank Liberty’s top 30 football players entering the 2025 season. We conclude the list today with our Top 10. Be sure to go back and check out #25-21 and #20-11 if you missed it.
10. CJ Bazile
CJ Bazile is one of the more proven players on Liberty’s roster entering 2025, and he slides into the Top 10 of this year’s ranking after checking in at #13 a year ago. After being named the CUSA Preseason Defensive of Player of the Year prior to 2024, he went on to play in all 12 games, finishing with 54 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery (for a touchdown that helped Liberty beat NMSU), as he earned all-CUSA honorable mention honors. He is Liberty’s 2nd leading returning tackler and should help anchor a defensive line that lost a few key pieces from last year’s squad.
9. Jacob Jenkins
Jacob Jenkins is entering his 6th year of college football, and he has emerged as a team leader for the Flames both on and off the field. He rises into the Top 10 from his ranking a year ago of #22. Jenkins is the 4th highest rated returning offensive player for Liberty, according to PFF. He played in all 12 games last season, finishing the year with 10 receptions for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns.
8. Christian Bodnar
This ranking may surprise some, but Christian Bodnar has tremendous potential and upside. Though only playing in five games, he ranked as Liberty’s top defensive player last season, according to PFF. After playing sparingly in 2023, Bodnar emerged as someone who was getting starter’s snaps last fall before suffering a serious health scare that caused him to miss the last half of the season. He ended up with 13 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 PBU, 2 QB hurries, and a forced fumble. Of course, he’s most remembered for the strip sack he had in overtime against FIU to secure Liberty’s win last season. Bodnar should be back at full strength once training camp rolls around. His versatility is also a huge weapon for the Flames as he can lineup on the outside as a corner or also slide over to the safety position.
7. Ethan Vasko
Vasko is a difficult player to rank in this listing. He is the favorite to emerge as Liberty’s starting quarterback, which automatically puts him in consideration, but he still hasn’t put on the game uniform for the Flames yet. We do have some expectation for what we could see out of him based on his experience at Coastal Carolina where he started all 12 games last fall. He threw for over 2,000 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions with a 55% completion percentage. In his most recent performance, Vasko completed 13 of 17 passes for 200 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on 13 rushing attempts. He’s a dual-threat at quarterback, but in a different way than what Liberty fans have seen in recent years from Kaidon Salter and Malik Willis.
6. A’Khori Jones
A’Khori Jones surges all the way to #6 on this year’s list after being unranked a year ago. He’s coming off a season where he is the fourth highest rated returning defensive player for the Flames, according to PFF. In 2024, Jones had 53 tackles, 5 TFLs, 3 PBUs, and a fumble recovery in 12 games played, helping him earn honorable mention all-CUSA honors. He came in as part of the same recruiting class as Brylan Green, and, after two seasons as a solid contributor, Jones broke out in a big way in 2024 and should have another all-conference season this fall.
5. Juju Gray
Juju has the potential to leave teammates, coaches, and fans with their jaw on the floor by the potential he has with the ball in his hands while in space. He returns to the top 10 of this list after debuting at #7 last year. His 2024 season, the first for him in a Liberty uniform, didn’t quite go as expected as he battled through injuries much of the year. He also struggled to adapt to his role on the team. Now, he’s been moved to the running back position full-time, and he should be poised for a monster breakout with his potential to lead the team in all-purpose yards. Last season, in limited action, Juju rushed 10 times for 62 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown run. He also had 7 receptions for 97 yards and 2 scores. Gray transferred from NC State prior to 2024, where he was most known for his ability as a kick returner. In his time at Raleigh, he proved he has the potential to be one of the top kick returners in the country with his ability to take one back to the house any time.
4. Bryce Dixon
Bryce Dixon is now the veteran on the interior of the defensive line. He returns to the Top 10 of this year’s last after last year’s ranking of #9. Dixon was a highly rated recruit out of high school and made an impact as a true freshman in 2022, playing in 8 games. In 2023, he started 13 of the team’s 14 games at nose tackle, finishing the year with 35 tackles. Now, Dixon is coming off last year’s performance where he is the team’s 5th returning tackler and perhaps the only known commodity on the interior of the defensive line that lost a few pieces in the transfer portal
3. Joe Carter
Carter rises all the way to #3 on this year’s list from #28 last year. That rise is symbolic to the rise Carter has made during his Liberty career. He began as a walk-on, playing in just one game over his first two seasons with the Flames. In 2023, Carter emerged as a reliable linebacker and started the final 9 games of the season including in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. Last year, Carter earned second-team all-CUSA after leading the team in tackles with 88 to go along with 5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and 3 PBUs. Carter is the second highest graded returning defensive player according to PFF as he seems poised for a first-team all-conference season.
2. Aaron Fenimore
Aaron Fenimore makes the biggest jump in this year’s ranking as he was unranked last year and now surges all the way to #2 and deservedly so! He moved into the starting lineup last year as the Flames’ starting center as just a redshirt-freshman and earned first-team all-conference by the end of the season. Fenimore is the highest graded returning offensive player for the Flames according to PFF.
1. Brylan Green
It’s hard to believe, but Brylan Green is entering his fourth and final year of eligibility with Liberty this fall. He moves up to the top spot on our ranking after manning #4 last year. After beginning his collegiate career playing both baseball and football, Green focused on just football following his freshman season and it has paid dividends. In 2023, he was named 2nd team All-American and first-team all-CUSA after leading the team and conference with five interceptions. He’s become a ball hawk able to track down the fly balls from his center field safety position as they are in the air and teams game plan to keep the ball away from him. His ability to track a football in the air and close on it to make a play is as good as Liberty has ever seen. Oh, and did we mention his ability to make plays in the return game?
